I think those “muddy dog thoughts” are way too feisty, independent and assertive to learn much at obedience school….and would just keep being feisty….the more I fight them, the stronger they seem to resist….

so….new strategy….

just let them go out into that 1000 acre wood….
there are plenty of brooks and ponds there…
they’ll be fine….
there’s enough food and water out there….
they’ll come back once they’ve run that energy off
and gotten the mud off themselves, too…
so I’ve decided maybe I’ll stop trying to control them
and just let them go.

“ When you are disturbed, just let it be. Give it a little time. It will settle down on its own. You don’t have to put in any effort to calm it down. It will happen. It is effortless. Having ‘peace of mind’ is not a strenuous job; it is an effortless process. When there is peace inside you, that peace permeates to the outside. It spreads around you and in the environment, such that people around start feeling that peace and grace. ”

zendictiveis a blog full of terrific Zen wisdom stories, including stories about not resisting!…I figure this change of strategy is worth a try….thanks Art…I’ll let you know how those doggies do out there in the 1000 acre wood…. : )

Additional Note: to anyone who just found this blog…ummm,… the other posts in this blog might make a bit more sense to you than this post does…please keep an open mind and check out other posts too…. 🙄

Friends of mine had a collie, a real “Lassie”, who they let off the lead on their walks. On rainy days, her legs and belly were caked or at least spattered with mud. Back home, she lay by the fireplace for an hour. When she got up, dry, she shook herself and emerged silky and shiny. All my friends needed to do was sweep up after her… 😉

Yesterday, my mind filled with muddy dog thoughts ~ which stole my peace of mind and created unnecessary frustration. I decided to stop chasing them around and around in circle. They settled down, and inner peace is restored.

: ) That must have been quite a site to behold!
We had a dog like that too…a golden retriever who lived for 16 years!….she had exactly that kind of powerful energy! (now we had the sweetest, most gentle, compliant golden retriever one could ever imagine….odd that they were such opposites…
Thanks for the positive influence in your zen stories….I really do get helpfully influenced by them… : )

I have trouble with this sometimes… switching off. Negative thoughts held on too long have a snowball effect. I find that sleeping on it helps a great deal, however getting to sleep may take practice : ) But I think knowing now that these muddy thoughts will probably not be as bad in the morning, helps me to switch off for at least a short moment… at which point I drift off to wonderland~